Chapter 55: The Third Hokage's Order

Land of Rain, Konoha Main Camp.

Orochimaru frowned as he looked at the order sent by the Third Hokage. He snorted coldly and tossed it to Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Jiraiya's heart sank. "What's with that look? Could something have happened to Hanma?"

As Jiraiya read the order anxiously, his face turned grim as well.

The order contained many words, but very little content. It briefly reported Hanma's battle against Shukaku, in very vague terms. The main directive could be summarized in one sentence: 

[Immediately launch a full-scale attack on the Rain Ninja, and achieve results as soon as possible.]

Previously, during Hanma's intense battle with Hanzō, Hanzō had been forced to reveal his trump card. At the time, Hanma hadn't yet broken with the Hokage's line and had reported the battle details to the Third Hokage. Consequently, Konoha's decision-makers had comprehensive intelligence on Hanzō.

In the intelligence report, Hanma had particularly emphasized Hanzō's lethality on the battlefield. This report had been delivered to the three of them at the outset of the war. 

They all knew that following the Third Hokage's order to attack would lead to massive casualties.

This three-nation conflict had gradually become clearer. In the Sand Ninja versus Konoha battlefield, both sides had suffered heavy losses. Hanma had killed Shukaku and Fenfuku, Dan Kato had killed Ebizō, and Sakumo Hatake had destroyed many puppets, significantly crippling the Sand Ninja. But Konoha also sustained severe losses; Dan Kato was killed by Chiyo, and Fenfuku and Shukaku had also caused substantial casualties to Konoha's troops.

On the Konoha versus Rain Ninja front, the situation remained at a stalemate, without any large-scale battles breaking out. The defeat of the Sand Ninja had essentially nullified the joint invasion plan against Konoha. 

With the Sand Ninja no longer in the picture, the Rain Country's defeat was inevitable. Konoha had no urgent need to retaliate against the Rain Ninja.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping the table as he pondered the Third Hokage's intentions. Tsunade, on the other hand, wasn't focused on these matters; she was solely concerned about Hanma's safety since the report mentioned only a few words about Hanma's battle against Shukaku.

After a period of silence, it seemed a revelation dawned on the three of them, and the atmosphere grew more oppressive, yet no one spoke.

Finally, Jiraiya stood up abruptly, slamming the table and yelling, "Isn't this just sending those ninjas to their deaths? The old man's grudges with the Uchiha shouldn't drag others down!"

"If we really have to fight, then let Hanma and Sakumo come to support us! An assault now will just result in needless casualties!"

Tsunade sneered. She was already discontent with the Third Hokage's suppression of the Uchiha. Her heart filled with thoughts of a particular man had gradually shifted her perspective.

"Do you think the old man hasn't thought of that? It's just his fear that Uchiha's current representative might become the most dazzling war hero."

"And we are expected to defeat the Rain Ninjas without any support, thereby becoming heroes of Konoha ourselves! After all, we are the prized students of the Third Hokage, reflecting half of his face!"

Hearing Tsunade's biting sarcasm, Jiraiya fell silent. He had always been repulsed by such internal village conflicts. 

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed, coldly analyzing, "Hanma-kun won't be coming to support us. Even if he wanted to, the old man would have already devised a way to keep him occupied."

"Sakumo won't come either. After battling Shukaku alongside Hanma-kun and leading the war against the Sand Ninjas, he has already achieved significant merit."

"And our teacher, who likes to emulate the policies set by the Second Hokage, including the tradition of passing the Hokage title through the master-disciple lineage."

Orochimaru's tone shifted from icy to sarcastic, peeling away the hidden meanings behind the order.

Jiraiya's face turned red but he couldn't argue back; after all, Orochimaru was speaking from experience. Tsunade looked disgusted. Her feelings for the Third Hokage were far less strong than those of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's tone shifted again as he continued, "The most troublesome issue is how to attack the Rain Country."

"According to Hanma-kun's intelligence, Hanzō can create poisonous rain clouds in the Rain Country's environment, rendering ninjas below the elite jōnin level unable to fight."

"Even though Rain Ninjas might also be affected by Hanzō's poison gas, he controls its usage." 

"If we send a small squad, Hanzō and the Rain Ninjas will surround us immediately."

"But if we launch a full-scale attack, we'll inevitably be hit by Hanzō's poison clouds." 

"So, for the upcoming decisive battle, we need to pick two thousand elites to match the Rain Ninja's numbers."

After finishing, the three of them felt a sense of absurdity. The two most suitable individuals to attack the Rain Country were sidelined for unfounded reasons. The internal friction within the Konoha giant had exceeded their limit.

Jiraiya remained silent as a piece of wood, contemplating the Will of Fire, human nature, and his past memories with the Third Hokage. His thoughts were chaotic, shattering some of his ideals.

Tsunade's face was equally somber as she said slowly, "If our troops fight in an environment thick with poisonous gas, the antidote I developed won't work."

The antidote was not the same as Hanma's poison immunity. If the dosage was high enough, even water could be lethal. The Third Hokage's order seemed to favor Hanzō, trapping Konoha's troops on the Rain Ninja front.

The Third Hokage, too, was helpless. He understood the difficulty of this battlefield. However, his brilliance lay in the fact that he had anticipated the casualties from attacking the Rain Ninjas.

Hanma's astonishing feat of killing a tailed beast could easily sway some wavering clans in the village, forming a large faction. To stabilize the situation, the Third Hokage had no choice but to pin his hopes on the Rain Ninja battlefield. Even if there were casualties, the Third Hokage could exploit them.

Hanzō's reputation as a "half-god" in the ninja world meant he could frame his three disciples as heroes who fought valiantly to the end.

In the original story, Hanzō spared Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, bestowing the humiliating title of "Konoha's Three Legendary Ninjas." Over time, however, this title evolved into "The Legendary Sannin," becoming their hallmark.

For the Third Hokage, a victory on the Rain Country battlefield, even with casualties, was necessary. Simply maintaining a stalemate with the Rain Ninjas would pale in comparison to Sakumo Hatake's and Hanma Uchiha's achievements.